Automatic vacuum breaker



Mar. 13, 1923.

W. A. HOWLAND AUTOMATIC VACUUM BREAKER v 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Apr, 10, 1920 Mar. 13, 1923. 1,448,445

W. A. HOWLAND AUTOMATIC VACUI JM BREAKER iled Apr. 10, 1930 2 sheets-sheet 2 ..7y i

H II

14 fl Howfflrrd Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

WALDO A. HOWL AND, OF ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS. i

To all whom ifmay concern:

' Be it known that LVALDO A. IIOWLAND, a citizen of the United States. residing at Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vacuum Breakers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to means for breaking the vacuum in steam plants, and particularly to means for operating a vacuum valve in the steam plant to insure safety against accident by water rushing into a cylinder under certain contingencies, which would wreck the power plant.

The general object of this invention is to provide a positive, quick acting, automatic vacuum breaker, and more particularly to provide a vacuum breaking valve normally held to its seat, and provide means operated by the rise of a float in a chamber or receptacle connected to the condenser or exhaust pipe of the water feed whereby this valve may be lifted from its seat to thereby break the vacuum;

A further object is to provide a construction ofthis character in which the vacuum valve is connected to a vertically movable piston or equivalent device, this piston being normally lowered to lower and hold the vacuum valve to its seat, but being raised by the inlet of water under pressure beneath the piston, this inlet of water beneath the piston being controlled by a quickly operating valve, in turn controlled by a float, piston or equivalent device actuated by an undue rise "of water in a chamber connected to a condenser or to the exhaust pipe or in like position.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein igure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention, partsbeing shown in section;

Figures 2 and 3 are vertical longitudinal sections through the valve casing of the apparatus;

Figure 4 a detailed sectional view through the water cylinder;

*Figure 5 is an elevation of a condenser and exhaust pipe with my invention applied thereto. 1

Referring to thedrawings, 1O designates I AUTOMATIC VACUUM 'BBEAKERi Application filed April 10, 1920. Serial No. 372,818.

a chamber. illustrated as, cylindrical in and having head 12 at its upper end having screwthreaded engagement with the, cylinder. This head 11 is provided with an inlet opening 13 in its middle whichis connectedt'o the condenser engine. The head '12 has a stufling box' 14 at tached to its middle, and extending through this stufling 'bOX is afloat rod 15 which, at

a head '11 at its lower end and a I or to the exhaust pipe of -the its lower end, engages with a float 17. This i float 17 'is preferablyan'open bottom float,

though: I do'not wish to belimited to that, that is it is closed on its to and at its sides but open at its bottom so t at the float cannot-at any time become water logged. "This float li'watits upper end is provided witha boss 18 connected. v 7

Disposed above'the cylinder or chamber 10 is avalve casing 19 containing a controlling or motor valve. I have illustrated a certain form of'v'alve, such as is described in Patent #924,559 of June 8, 1909,-but I do not wish to be limited to this valve. Thisvalve casing hasfa longitudinally extendingchamber or; boreiof uniform diameter and from the middle of the valve chamber extends the outlet port 20. Disposed below theoutlet port 20 and illustratedas being diametricallyopposite to the port 20 is an inlet port 21, and in line with this inlet port but above the port 20 is thedischarge port 22. Disposed between the inlet port 21 and the outlet 20 is abushing 23 having a central passage for the valve stem. Below this'bushing 23and below the port'21 is'a bushing 24 also having a central opening forthe valve stem. Be-

tween the port 20 and the port 22 is a bushing 25 having acentral opening. Extending vertically through the valve 'casingis the to which the float rod is ope'rati'vely stem 26 which extends through an oil receptacle 27 formed in the upper portion of the casing and above a liquid-tight'bushing 28 in the upper portion of the casing. The stem 26 is reduced in diameter, at '29; The stem then extends downward for a certainportion of its length; and is uniform in cross section for this partof its length, as at 30, and below this part 30'is preferably square incross-section, as at 31, so that the stem is guided withinthe bores of'the'bushings 23 and 24 but permits the passage of liquid through the openings'in these bushings when the stem is shifted in a certain-direction. The port 21 is cqnnected bymeans'qf a pipe32 with; any

source of water under pressure, as for instance, it might'be connected to the city main or to any other source of water. The port 20 is connected by a pipe line'33 to the vacuum valve operating chamber, as will be later stated, and the port 22 is connected by a pipe 34 to any suitable point of discharge. The stem 26 is carried by a loop-shaped yoke 35 which extends downward on each side of the valve casing 19 and at its lowerend is connected to the stem 15.

It will be obvious now that when the float 17 rises, the valve stem 26which constitutes the valve itself, is lifted and this lifting actionshifts the valve from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 2, thus connecting the ports 21 and 20. When the valve stem is lowered, communication between these ports is cut off and any leakage past the valve is carried away through the waste or discharge port ,22 and pipe 34. As illustrated, a bracket 36 is mounted upon the cover or upper head 12of the chamber 10 and engages the 'pipe line 33 adjacent the valve casing 19 and supports this valve casing imposition against movement. 1

. The vacuum breaker valve is designated generally 37 and normally seats upon a seat formed on the upper, face of a body 38 which is shown as screw-threaded and engaged with an exhaust pipe 39 leading from the engine to the condenser.. I do not wish to be limited to any particular construction for the valve 37 and'the valve seat or body 38, nor to the use of this valve in the exhaust pipe.

For the purpose of raising or lowering this valve, I provide a-water cylinder or .chamber 40 supported by legs 41 extending from the pipe, chamber or receptacle 39 and securely bolted. thereto and having an inlet port 42 to which the pipe line 33 is connected. This chamber 40 is closed by a head 43 having an upward extension 44 in which is disposed a coiled spring 45 and havin an opening or vent 40. Extending downward through this extension 44 is a stem 46 constituting a piston rod and carrying upon it a piston or equivalent element 47. This may be in the form of an inverted bucket valve or may be of any other suitable form and is provided with rings or water grooves on its circumference or is otherwise suitably packed so that when the Valve 26 shifts to admit water through the line 33 into ,the interior of the cylinder 40, this piston .47 will rise. The upper .end of the piston rod 46 is connected to a yoke 48 which extends downward and is formed with twospaced ears 49 to receive betweenthem a lug 50 formed on the upper end of the 'breakervalve, this lug being pivoted to these ears'by'a yoke pin '51. The spring within the extension 44 bears downward on rocking valve, that the piston head 47 so that the valve 37 is urged downward by the springand by the weight of the piston, piston rod, yoke, and the valve itself.

Extending from the chamber 10 in which is disposed the float 17 is an equalizer pipe 53. This equalizer pipe is connected to the condenser A to which the'inlet 13 is connected but is two or three sizes smaller than the inlet, For instance, if the inlet opening is 1%" in diameter, the equalizer has an an interior diameter of a".

The operation of this mechanism is as follows: If for any reason the water in the condenser or exhaust pipe to feed waterheat er for instance, begins to rise above its normal height and thus is liable to be drawn into the cylinders of the engine and it is necessary, therefore, to break the vacuum in the exhaust pipe, then this water enters the chamber 10, and if the water therein, rises from 1?; to 2", for instance, the float 17 rises and the motor valve formed by the stem 26 opens very quickly to its full port opening. This allows the water under pressure or head to flowthrough pipe 3'2and the valve casing through pipe line 33 to the valve lifting cylinder 40 and this quickly raises the piston 47 therein 3 for a 2 valve,-and this will liftthe vacuum breaker valve a off its seat. This valve remains thus sus pended until the level of the water in the receptacle to which the chamber 10-is con nected lower or returns'to its normal height. This return of the water causes the closing of the valve stem 26 andthe cutting off of communication between the source of water and the water cylinder, whereupon the weight of the piston, piston rod, yoke, and valve, together with the spring 45, will cause the closing of the breaker valve,vthe water flowing backward through the pipe 33 and being discharged throughcthe discl'iarge pipe or port-22. Any leakage of water past the piston.47 is taken care of by one or more leakage vents 54 in the upper part of the cylinder.

While I have illustrated a particular form of controlling valve, namely that illustrated in Patent #924,559, yet I do not wish to be limited. to any particular form of Valve, as I may use, for instance, the form of valve or motor made by the Spencer Regulator Company, the Locke Regulator Companyv (covered by the patent above referred to) or a is a Corliss valve. Neither do I wish to be limited to any particular form of float 17 but preferably I use an open bottom float so that the float cannot become water logged, as might be the case were the float a sealed or closed float, that is a hollow casing fllledwith air. As a float in chamber 10, I may use an inverted bucket float, an open bucket float, or a sealed float or a piston. In other words,

I may use as a motor for the valve 26 any city main, yet this water may be had from a steam condenser coil, or if the boiler feed pump uses cold water, it may be taken-from that as a source. There should be approx-t mately 30 pounds of pressure per square inch on the motor valve at alltimes, when power is used;

The chamber 10 is connected to the condenser A just above the normal water level by the pipe 13. The equalizer pipe 53 extends into the condenser about 14" above the connection 13. It is, of course, understood that the condenser and its pump are always placed as farbelow the engine cylinders as possible. Now itwill be under stood that if the water in the condenser rises above a certain amount, due to there being a more intense vacuum in the cylinder than at the condenser, which condition may be caused by-the stoppage of the air pump or circulating pump before the engine is stopped, or because the engine has not given free exhaust to the air, then as soon as the rising water seals the inlet pipe 13 to the chamber 10, the vacuum existing higher up in the condenser at once begins to assist in causing the water to enter the chamber 10 below the float or. piston 17 and, of course, assists in the quick action of the motor valve stem 26. This is very important, as it removes any possibility of the float or piston not functioning properly. Of course, the rise of water in the chamber 10 and the consequent lifting of the controlling valve causes the lifting of the vacuum breaking valve .37 which is on the other side of the-incoming water moving toward the cylinder, and when the valve 37 lifts off its se'at,'-it admitsair to the exhaust pipe, which breaks the vacuum,

and the water again seeks a lower level;

It will be noted thatthe valvef37 iscon- V nected to the piston" 47 by the yoke, 48 so that'the piston is connected to the yokeby the upwardly extending stem 46 instead of a downwardly extending stem extending through the bottom of cylinder 40. This is done to obviate the necessity of a stufling box on the'under side, as the water thrust is all upward and any leakage of wateris thrown out through the vent opening 4:0 in the upper end of the cylinder. If stuffing boxes are used, engineers would be very liable to stop any water drip or leakage through the stuffing box and would tighten up the stuffing box, thus impeding the free above the cylinderand having a stennextending .ing the stem to the valve, v .holdingthe valveclosed-and thepiston demovement of the parts. What is true of the construction of the cylinder 40 is equally true :of the valve casing, 19.- This is not-1 and thus friction is reduced, it being almost a necessity in constructions of ,thischaracter that friction should be reduced to a mini- .formed with a stuffingbox-at its upper end mum; Of course, the quicknessofoperation of the mechanism, that is the quickness. of response of the vacuum valve, depends to a, certain extent upon howclosely the, cylinder 40 islocated to. the chamber. -10, andthe closer these two":instrumentalities,are, the quicker the vacuum valvewillrespond.

One of the particularadvantages of this construction, aside from those prev ously pointed out, is that all of the mechanism may be disposed ina very small space, or the two elements of the mechanism, namely' the controllingval've mechanismwith its cha ber 10 and 'float and the vacuum valve oper-c j ating mechanism may be;dispose d a considerable distancev from each other and connected by the pipe 33, thus accommodating the::mechanism' to any particularg'c rcumstance of. operation, 3

I-cla1m:f'-

1. The combination with an element hav ing a valve seat and a normally closed vacuum ,valve'therein, of a cylinder; disposed 1 above the vacuum valve, a pistonoper'ating therein and having an upwardly extending stem extending throughthje head of the cylinder, a yoke carried by the upper end of the stem and extending downward around the cylinder and at itslowerend-roperatively source of liquid under. pressure and having a pipe connection extend ng to the'lower end of the cylinderbeneath the piston therefloat when lowered causing the valve to cut off communication between the source of liquid and the cylinder and when raised shifta ing the valve ,to open; communicationbe I tween the liquid and the cylinder.

2. The combination with an elenientlhavconnected to the vacuum valve,.5a;eontrol-' ling valve casingv commun cat ng w1th, ,,a

ing a valve seatand a normally closed-vacuum valve therein, of ga -cyllnder; disposed the valve a piston operating ,within out therefrom,

a yoke operatively connect-; .means normally pressed, and av controlling :valve casing ,con-

.nected to a-source of fluid under pressure and to S211Cl' cylinder ,beneath the piston 3(The'combination with an 1 5 connected to-the co float chamber,

posed withln the controlling valve casing liquid and the cylinder and ward, a yoke carried by 50 between thejliquid raised "-bythe increase of level of liquid therein, said member being operatively conne'cted tothe controlling valve to shift it to anopen position when the member is raised.

element having'a valve seat anda normallyclosed vacuum valve therein of a cylinder mounted above the vacuum valve, a piston operating therein and having an upwardly extending 10 ste'in extendingthrough the head of the cylmde'r, a spring urging said pistondownward, a yoke carried, by the upper end of the stem and extending:downward around the cylinder and at its lower end operatively vacuum valve, valve casing communicating with a source of liquidunder pressure and having a pipe connection extending to the lower end of the cylinder beneath the'pistonthereot, a

afloat therein, a valve disand-operatively connected to 1 the float, said float when lowered causing the valve to cut "off communication between the source of when raised shifting the valve to open communication between the liquid and the cylinder.

4. Thecombination with an element having a valveseajt and a normally closed'vacu- 30 um valve therein, of a cylinder mounted above the vacuum valve, a piston operating therein and having an upwardly extending stem extending through the head of the cylinder, a spring urging said piston downp the upper end of the stem and extendingdownward around the cylinder and at its lower end operatively connected to the vacuum valve, a controlling valve casing communicating with a sourceot' 40 liquid under pressure and having a pipe connection extending to the lower end of the cylinder beneath. the piston thereof, a floatchamber a float therein, a valve dis- "posed within the controlling valve casing and operatively connected'to'the float, said float when lowered'causing the valve to cut off communication 'bet'veen the source of liquidandfthe'cyl'nder and when raised shifting the valve to open communication and the cylinder, said controlling valve casing having a discharge outlet and said valve when lowered establishing communication between said dischargeoutlet and pipefconnec'tion to the cyl- EB inder.

'' Q5. The combination with the exhaust pipe of an engineQand a condenser, of a valve seat formed in' the exhaust pipe, a normally closed vacuum valve operating therewith, a

"motor.operativelyconnected to the vacuum,

- denser,

a controlling trolling valve, the motor,

in said valve ting said passage,

"causing the return. of

ward around the cylinder,

valve to raise it when the motor is actuated,

means for actuating the motor when the condenser is filhng with water including a controlling valve,.a chamber having a duct at its lower end connected to the lower. portion of the condenser, said chamben at its upped end having a relatively smaller duct connected to the upper portion of the conboth of said ducts being of a diameter small relativev to the'gdiameter of said chamber, and a float operatingwithin said chamber and having a diameter nearly equal to that of. the chamber, said floatbeing-directly connected to-.the controlling valve whereby to cause the actuation of the con and the lifting of the vacuum valve upon the rise of the float.

- 6. The combination with the condenser or' an engine, the exhaust pipe thereof and'a normally closed vacuum valve mounted in "the exhaust pipe and-controlling admission of atmospheric air thereto,

of a cylinder, a piston therein operatively connected to the vacuumvalve, a-valveacasing having an inlet port and an outlet port leading tothe cylinder below the piston thereof, a valve casing normally preventing fluid through the valve casbut whenraised permit- 7 the --chamber having a duct connected at its lower end tothe lower portion of the condenserxand at its upper end having a relatively smaller duct conthe passage of ing to the cylinder nected to the upper" portion of the condenser, a floatdisposed in saidchamber and having a diameter nearly equal to-that-oi the chamber, said floatbeing directly con neeted to the controlling valve whereby upon an "upward movement of the float due to the accumulation of water within the condenser the controlling valve shallbe shitteiil to open communication with a source/oi fluid and the cylinder to thereby cause the lifting of the vacuum valve, and means WALDO A. HOWLAND.

the vacuum valve to 

